Sea of Sorrow

To the uncaring bitch who tore out Beck's heart and destroyed his world--thank you very much. You should do it again sometime.

Sure, I feel sorry for good ol' Beck, the floppy-mopped flunky who entertained us so well with his two turntables and a microphone, but if Sea Change is a reasonable indicator, the man wears heartache like Heidi Klum wears Victoria's Secret: It looks good on him.

Truth be told, I had a hard time warming up to the idea that Beck could pull off a down-and-out, alone-in-a-darkened-room, head-on-the-table, waiting-to-die-level of musical melancholy. With a track list that includes songs like "Already Dead," "Lost Cause" and "Lonesome Tears," I was reminded of that weird kid in freshman dorm who prefaced every drippy guitar ballad he composed with, "This is a song I wrote when my girlfriend broke up with me last summer...." Only Beck doesn't suck, and he probably doesn't get his ass kicked as much.

From weepy start to agonizing finish, a bereaved Beck trudges through his losses with thoughtfulness and introspection. A change indeed; the singer/songwriter has successfully gone from "I'm a loser baby/So why don't you kill me?" to "I'm lost/And I just might take care of it myself." This man needs a hug--big time.

The greatest departure from the Beck of old comes not lyrically, but instrumentally, as the blips, chirps and hip hop experimentation of previous albums such as 1996's Odelay and 1999's Midnite Vultures disappear completely. Sea Change is as basic as Beck gets: a few guitars, a loose drum beat, the occasional string accompaniment. Making it all work are the heavy, broken-hearted, yet bravely delivered, vocals. The guy can really sing, and he's finally got a lot to sing about.

Is this Beck's best album to date? Easily. So feel free to take comfort in someone else's sorrow. Hearing him utter lines like "It's only lies that I'm living/It's only tears that I'm crying/It's only you that I'm losing/Guess I'm doing fine," makes me sad for the guy, but at the same time his despondency makes for a damn fine musical experience.

So if Beck is in a better mood next time he heads into the studio, I might just have to see to it that his dog has an unfortunate "accident" with a circular saw.

--David Walters